Explanation
This ordinance authorizes a contract between Columbus City Council and the Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio for the administration of the New Americans Recruitment Initiative.
It is vital that the city’s workforce be representative of its own population, and that includes increasing the diversity of our workforce by ensuring that our immigrant communities have opportunities for employment with the City of Columbus. The New Americans Recruitment Initiative provides grants to local non-profit immigrant, refugee and New American organizations to facilitate civil service testing and workforce development training. The goal is to guide residents through the City of Columbus employment opportunities and processes, and to promote civil service employment opportunities among the refugee, immigrant, and New American communities in Columbus. Council is funding a total of five grants with a maximum award of $7,500 each.
Grant recipients will be required to attend an informational session led by the Civil Service Commission. This session will provide a broad overview of the civil service application process, tested and untested positions, and a discussion of civil service opportunities that may be most applicable for grantees’ constituents. Grantees will also be required to host at least two community information sessions for their constituents to learn about civil service opportunities, and must identify and secure a remote test site and coordinate with the Civil Service Commission for the administration of one or more selected civil service exams.
The Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio will serve as the fiscal agent for the distribution of the grants to selected organizations, and will also provide administrative support and guidance regarding best practices for the creation or expansion of workforce development initiatives. For this service, the Workforce Development Board will receive $5,000.00.
Emergency action is requested to align the availability of funding with the proposed distribution of grants.
Fiscal Impact: Funding is available within the Job Growth subfund.
Title
To authorize Columbus City Council to enter into contract with the Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio for the administration of the New Americans Recruitment Initiative; to authorize an appropriation and expenditure within the Job Growth subfund; and to declare an emergency. ($42,500.00)
Body
WHEREAS, it is vital that the city’s workforce be representative of its own population, and that includes increasing the diversity of our workforce by ensuring that our immigrant communities have opportunities for employment with the City of Columbus; and
WHEREAS, the goal of the New Americans Recruitment Initiative is to guide residents through the City of Columbus employment opportunities and processes, and to promote civil service employment opportunities among the refugee, immigrant, and New American communities in Columbus; and
WHEREAS, Council is funding a total of five grants with a maximum award of $7,500 each; and
WHEREAS, the Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio will serve as the fiscal agent for the distribution of the grants to selected organizations, and will also provide administrative support and guidance regarding best practices for the creation or expansion of workforce development initiatives; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of City Council in that it is immediately necessary to authorize a contract with the Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio to align the availability of funding with the proposed distribution of grants; now, therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That Columbus City Council is hereby authorized to enter into contract with the Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio for the administration of the New Americans Recruitment Initiative.
SECTION 2. That the City Auditor be and is hereby authorized and directed to appropriate $42,500 in the Jobs Growth subfund, fund 1000, subfund 100015, to the Columbus City Council, in Object Class 03 - Contractual Services, per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That the expenditure of $42,500 or so much thereof as may be needed pursuant to the actions authorized in SECTION 1, is hereby authorized in the Job Growth subfund, fund 1000, subfund 100015, in Object Class 03 - Contractual Services, per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 4. That the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are hereby deemed appropriated, and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 5. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.